1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a device for printing endorsements on documents which may be included as part of an apparatus for reading and/or printing magnetic or non-magnetic characters. More specifically, the invention relates to a device for printing endorsements and, more particularly, to a device for printing endorsements in which the endorsing device prints specific characters on the reverse side of the document as the document's code lines are printed and/or read by a document processor such as a document reader and/or printer.
2. Description of Related Art
Existing magnetic and non-magnetic character readers/printers come in a variety of types. Most commonly, such devices are capable of reading magnetic or other types of characters imprinted on a document and/or printing magnetic or other types of characters onto the document. Typically, such devices generally include a document guide and tractor rollers. The tractor rollers propel the document through the reading and/or printing elements of the document processor where characters imprinted on the document may be read or characters may be print onto the document passing therethrough. Document processors such as those herein described may or may not be further equipped with a device for printing endorsements on the documents passing therethrough.
A device for printing endorsements print a series of characters which comprise the endorsement onto the reverse side of the document as it passes through the document guide. Typically, the device prints the endorsement on the document either by striking the document or by pressing a roller against the document. Among the disadvantages of using an impact-type endorsement device in a document processing system is that, in order to print the endorsement on a document, the advancement of a document must be stopped, the endorsing device activated to print the endorsement on the document and the advancement of the document resumed. Such a procedure results in a substantial loss of processing time. As a result, the processing of documents is slowed. Another disadvantage of using an impact-type endorsement device in a document processing system is related to the inking process itself. It is difficult to conceive of an inking system for an impact-type endorsement device which will satisfactorily operate within the size and price constraints imposed upon document processing systems.
Unlike most impact-type endorsement devices, roller-type endorsement devices do not require the document to be stopped before commencing the printing step. However, a disadvantage often present in roller-type endorsement devices is that the rotation of the roller which contacts the document continues the entire time that documents are passing through the roller-type endorsing device. As a result, unless the roller is stopped, for example, by a manual stopping operation, the roller will indiscriminately endorse all documents passing through the endorsing device. Another disadvantage of the roller-type endorsing devices is that, apart from the date, the information printed on the document is always the same, i.e., the information being printed by the roller cannot be changed without performing the slow task of removing one stamp and installing another.
Endorsement devices which print endorsements on documents using a roller rather than by impact are known. Roller-type document endorsers generally include a cylindrical casing containing an arrangement of wheels. Bands are provided containing the requisite digits and characters between the wheels and a peripheral area of the casing. In such a manner, dates and other types of inscriptions can be composed by simply turning the wheels to change the characters as desired.
The endorsing device subject of the present invention has been designed to fully solve the aforementioned problems. It is an extremely simple structure which may be mounted at the input or output of the guide along which a document passes. The endorsing device is suitable for readers and/or printers or any other type of document processing system, such as those issued by banks.